


The Resort

by Stingray



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fun, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Resort, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-27 17:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8410282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stingray/pseuds/Stingray
Summary: Over the years, Matt and Kelly had stocked up a lot of vacation time, they figured they should probably use some of it. Plus, there's nothing unappealing about the sound of white beaches, sunshine, and clear water.





	1. Trouble in Paradise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pall/gifts).



> I didn't forget about this prompt! It just took a while because school is a bitch and I got super busy! But here it is. Enjoy friends! :)
> 
> I have the whole work written out already, so there will be daily updates!

Matt and Kelly didn't really vacation much.

At least, that was the conclusion they came to when they had talked about it over one too many beers and terrible takeout. The weight of the job was starting to bring them down. It seemed that they just hadn't really been themselves lately. They needed something, maybe a new experience or something of the sort. Perhaps a burst of freshness in their lives would prove to be what they required.

Naturally, their solution was to book a week long vacation of white sands, clear water, and warm weather. They had lots of vacation time on their hands and they were excited about this. They got a great deal on a flight and managed to snag the last open room left at a five star resort. It was a slightly awkward reservation, considering the only room left was a honeymoon suite. Mostly because they weren't on a honeymoon. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do right?  
They'd just be two dudes hanging out at a wicked cool, all inclusive resort.

The airplane ride over was hell. Mostly for Kelly because he secretly harboured a fear of flying. Matt became aware of this when, during takeoff, Kelly shut his eyes tightly, and clenched his fists.  
Matt almost had a chuckle, but decided to save the man a little embarrassment. Instead, Matt covered Kelly's hand with his own, and Kelly squeezed back tightly. Kelly felt somewhat calmed from that, and he gingerly opened his eyes. The borderline stormy weather all around them, made for great amounts of turbulence. Matt tried to take Kelly's mind off it by talking about anything he could think of, but Kelly still couldn't help flinching every time the plane hit a pocket of wind. They didn't talk about it though. After all, everyone is scared of something.

When the flight was over, Kelly was all smiles, despite being a little shaken up.  
The two of them were taken via shuttle to their resort, their anticipation growing with every single mile they traveled. The ride seemed long, but they were just so excited. They truly felt like little kids again. This vacation was everything they boys could ever want, and there's no one either of them would rather spend it with than each other. Once they arrived at essentially the palace they were going to stay in. They were given a short tour of the resort by a kind middle-aged man, he showed them the beach, and the resort itself. The two of them were also shown to their room. There was a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice, sitting on the only bed in the room. Rose petals were strewn about the floor, which were hardly visible in the dim lighting. Consequently, it became very apparent to Matt and Kelly that they were in the honeymoon suite. They both almost choked as the guide said, "Have a very pleasant time, you two. Don't rock the bed too hard. The last couple in here broke the bed." He winked, leaving the room with a smirk dancing on his face.  
The second the door latch clicked Kelly broke down into a wild fit of pure laughter, while Matt just stood with this very surprised look written on his features.

The two of them decided to stay in the room for night, considering the storm they had flown through was starting to catch up to them. The sky was full of dark grey clouds and they noticed many flashes of lightning in the distance which painted the sky with a flash of white. They sat on their balcony for a while, a glass of champagne settled in their hands, as they discussed their plans for the week. Kelly wanted to perhaps bring up the idea of going out for a fancy dinner tonight. But he wasn't sure how that would be received by Matt. It's not like two guys have never gone out to a nice supper before, but Kelly didn't want to make Matt feel awkward. Before he could say a word about it, the sky opened up and a downpour ensued, they moved back into the room. Matt turned the TV on for a bit, and they both sat on the bed watching one of the three channels available to them. They had originally planned to take turns sleeping on the floor, but naturally they both fell asleep on the bed, in their clothes, exhausted from the day's travels.

Matt was the first to wake up. He was rather surprised to feel a heavy weight on his shoulder and steady breathing against his neck. The second he opened his eyes, he seen Kelly all snuggled up to him, shivering. That sure as hell was something Matt had dreamed about before. Not the shivering part of course, but Kelly asleep next to him. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even himself really, but deep down inside, he knew he felt some things towards Kelly that weren't entirely platonic. Matt looked up and noticed the balcony door was open, they probably hadn't latched it right when they came in the night before. A cold breeze blew straight into their room which, he assumed, is why Kelly was shivering and cold. As quietly as he could, Matt slid out from underneath Kelly and closed the glass door of the balcony, halting the wind.  
Next, Matt pulled back the blankets on the bed and lifted a fast asleep Kelly under them. He then went to the closet and pulled out a spare blanket and pillow, setting them up on the floor and creating a bed for himself. It looked comfy, and as he got in he thought it felt pretty comfy too. He looked at the clock, it was only 2:47AM. Matt was so tired from the travels and the jet lag, that he fell asleep and was out like a light in mere minutes. But at only 6:08AM, he woke up and after tossing and turning for a little while, decided he couldn't sleep any longer. He got up and quietly slipped onto the balcony.  
After a while it started to get brighter outside. The sun was rising against the horizon, and the waves were crashing against the shore in a calming manner.

A short time later, Matt was startled when out of the blue, he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. He may have let out a little, girly sounding eep, but he couldn't be bothered to care all that much.

"Sorry." Kelly whispered, letting his hands linger on top of the tense muscles.

"It's okay." Matt mumbled quietly in response, letting the salty sea air carry his words away.

Kelly moved to sit on the chair next to Matt's. As he sat down he let out a relaxed sigh. The wind was dying down, the warm sun was shining on the beautiful beach, and today was a good day to have a good day.

Matt and Kelly changed into their shorts and t-shirts, before heading downstairs to take advantage of the resort's free breakfast buffet. Having only a small supper portion on the airplane the evening before, meant that they were starving now. By the time they sat down at a little secluded booth, they both had a large cup of coffee, and huge plates piled high with pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and sausages among other tasty breakfast food. Matt and Kelly ate slowly, savouring each bite as they chatted loosely.

They decided their first activity would be scuba diving. Of course, they learned how to scuba dive as a result of becoming a firefighter, but they realized that neither of them had ever done it just for fun. So, that was their goal. Go diving for no other reason besides the fact that they only ever do it obligatorily. Plus, the crystal clear water was basically begging them to get in.

Once geared up, they got into their small rental boat, started the motor and they were off. The scuba rental shop had pointed them in the right direction. So theoretically, Matt and Kelly would hopefully end up swimming right above a colourful and beautiful coral reef, teeming with all kinds of amazing sea creatures. Yet, even after 15 minutes of driving, they were doubting that they went in a straight line and began to wonder whether they were actually going to the right place. Nonetheless, they dove off the boat. The water was very deep here and Matt began to wonder if this was really a good idea. That is, until he caught a shiny glint out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned his head, his eyes widened and he signalled Kelly to look as well. Right before them, was a ship. Not just any ship, this was a very old, very large one. Judging by the amount of seaweed and algae built up around it, Matt figured it to be at least a couple hundred years old. As they swam closer, schools of small fish swam away and they could clearly see that this was the home to many sea creatures. Although all the treasure that this ship must've been holding was likely all ravaged by now. This was still quite a find.  
There was a hole on the main deck that seemed to lead down into the ship itself.

Kelly signalled to go up. They rose to the surface and took out their breathing apparatuses.

"Holy shit." Matt laughed with excitement.

Kelly had an equally big smile plastered on his face as he replied, "This is crazy."

"Should we go in the hole?" Matt wondered, "I bet there's treasure."

"I don't know, Matt." Severide said, unsure of the idea. "Could be treasure, could be sharks."

"True." Matt agreed.

And then more simultaneously than they could have ever planned, and with a grin, both boys whispered, "Let's go."

They couldn't be more excited, a real fricking ship wreck! To make things more exciting, they were going to explore it! Maybe they'd find treasure, maybe sharks. But either way they'd have a story to tell everyone back home.  
As they edged closer to the hole, they couldn't help but start rethinking. It was after all quite dark down there and who knows what could be lurking down in there? But at the same time, the thrill was there. They couldn't resist!  
Matt and Kelly crept slowly down into the dark pit. They used the flashlights that had come with their gear to light their way as they descended. Matt suddenly landed on the floor, and Kelly wasn't far behind. A rotten spiral staircase laid to their right, and opposite that, was a gaping hole on the side of the ship. At least they'd have a great escape plan.  
Kelly was studying the hole, wondering what had caused it, when suddenly a large shadow darted right past it. It had to have been probably at least 7 feet in length and it freaked Kelly the hell out.

"Maybe we should go." Kelly tried to motion to Matt.

But Matt was in his own little world, picking up a very old, dirty Spanish coin that must have been left after the ship was cleaned out.  
The fish or whatever else that thing was, swam very quickly by the hole again. Oh no.  
As quick as he could, Kelly swam over to Matt.

Kelly tried to convey the message of, "We need to GO." As well as he could, using intense hand motions.

Between the panicked look in the other's eyes, and the frantic way he was acting, Matt realized that Kelly seen or felt something that told him they needed to get the hell away. Matt trusted Kelly, he did today, and he would for a long time to come. Matt gave a thumbs up, and the two of them ascended. Kelly made it out first. He had thought Matt had been right behind him, but when he glanced down, he noticed he had not come out yet. In fact, could see no trace of the man. Kelly's blood pounded through his veins at a pace that made it feel like he was going to implode. Where was Matt?  
Kelly hesitantly swam down in search of the man. His eyes had to adjust to being back in the ship, but once they did, Kelly laid his glance upon Matt's motionless body floating in the water. Frantically, Kelly swam over to him. He looked Matt over, there was no blood or any other physical trauma that would cause him to be unconscious. Then Kelly seen it, there was a rip in the oxygen line. This couldn't be happening.


	2. Just Keep Swimming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Enjoy, my friends! :)

Kelly grabbed Matt and swam ferociously to the surface. Once he arrived, he gently pushed Matt up and into the boat, quickly jumping in after him. Kelly pretty much tore off Matt's scuba tank and gear before checking Matt's pulse, then immediately started CPR. He pushed on his chest rhythmically, trying to bring life back into the man beneath him. There were tears at Kelly's eyes, they dropped down onto Matt's lifeless body. He couldn't lose Matt.  
Kelly leaned over, tilted Matt's head back, put his lips against the soft ones below him, and breathed some oxygen into Matt's starving lungs. Although it was nothing like a real kiss, the feeling of touching Matt's lips with his own gave him a new energy. He wanted to save the hell out of Matt. He needed to save him because he didn't want to live in a world without his best friend. He wanted to kiss those lips without having the weight of life and death pushing down on his shoulders. He wasn't sure if Matt would ever love him the same way that he loved Matt, but either way, he was going to try the damn hardest to save this man. Because even though Kelly would have to settle with being only friends for their whole lives, that would still give him a reason to live. He'd have a reason to get up in the morning because he could look forward to seeing that big smile of Matt's when he walked through the doors of the firehouse. But the only way that would ever happen again is if he could get Matt to breathe. So right now, Kelly had to put all these thoughts aside, and he had to save Matt.  
Kelly continued with compressions for only for a few more seconds before suddenly Matt started coughing and water spewed out of his mouth. Relief washed over Kelly. His hands were shaking from the panic he had been in, but he was happy. It was quite a scare to see Matt like that, his body so lifeless and unresponsive. But Kelly blocked away those thoughts for now, instead focussing on the perfectly alive Matt.   
Matt was having a little trouble breathing, but it was getting better with each breath he managed to rasp out. Kelly pulled Matt into a tight hug.

"Don't ever do that again." Kelly whispered into Matt's neck as he rubbed his back gently, trying to coerce the other's lungs into breathing normally.

Breathlessly, Matt mumbled back to Kelly, "I'll try."

Kelly reluctantly released Matt from the embrace and laid him down gently on the narrow floor of the boat. He rolled up the sweater he had taken along and placed it under Matt's head. Matt looked pretty out of it at the moment, but he seemed well all things considered.   
Kelly brought them back to the sandy beach as quickly as he could. When they got back, Kelly first helped Matt to the medic tent set up near the back of the beach. Then, he hastily returned their rental boat and scuba gear before rejoining Matt.   
The doctor in the tent commended Kelly on the great CPR, saying there should be no further effects other than quite a bit of fatigue. The doctor seemed to trust Kelly's ability to look after Matt, so instead of keeping him for observation as he would with most other less experienced people, he said Matt could leave now. Of course, this only worked as long as he promised to rest under Kelly's watchful eye.

Kelly listened to the doctor thoroughly before helping Matt up and to their room. Matt promptly sat on the floor with his back against the wall. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his arms and head on top of them. As you can imagine, Kelly was a little concerned. He crouched down next to Matt, "Hey, you okay?" Kelly asked, gently laying a hand on Matt's upper arm.

Matt nodded, "I think so... I just want to sit here for a while."

"Okay." Kelly affirmed in understanding, "I'm going to to just wash off real quick, just let me know if you need me."

Matt nodded once again as Kelly stood. Damn Kelly wished he could do more. As he stepped in the shower, every single thought he had was about Matt. Was he okay? What would he like for supper? Would he even want supper? The thoughts made his mind spin so he decided to get out of the shower and quickly dry himself off. Then, he threw on the dry pair of boxers and tight fitting sweatpants he had managed to remember to bring into the bathroom.

Kelly stared at himself in the mirror for a long while. He had almost lost Matt today and he don't know what he would've done if he was gone. He sure as hell wouldn't be the same man as he was yesterday, that's for sure. 

See, Matt was something of an anchor in Kelly's life, the kind that keeps you from drifting away. The kind that you trust and the same kind that makes you feel safe. 

Kelly sighed. He was relieved but also on edge, Matt technically still wasn't completely out of the woods. Although, Kelly did have to admit the other man seemed to be recovering from the incident quite fast compared to other near-drowning victims he had come across. So in theory, Kelly really had nothing to worry about, yet he still felt this sense of worry looming over him. He opened the door of the bathroom and stepped out. Matt was still sitting where he had been before, only now his head was resting against the wall behind him and met Kelly's gaze.

Kelly reached out his hand to Matt, offering to help him up. Matt accepted, gripping Kelly's wrist firmly as Kelly did the same to Matt, and within seconds he was up. Matt faltered a little and nearly lost his balance as soon as he stood up, but Kelly held onto his shoulders, steadying him.

After Matt regained some of his bearings, he looked up at Kelly, "I think I'll take a shower. Just a quick one to wash off. I think all this saltwater is getting to me." He laughed.

"Alright. Don't lock the door, okay? And just yell if you need me." Kelly requested, not entirely sure whether the shower a great idea considering how exhausted Matt probably was. But, if Matt felt he was up for it, then Kelly trusted that.  
From outside of the door, Kelly heard the water turn on and Matt step under the stream of water. Instead of over stressing and worrying about Matt for the next while, Kelly decided to get everything ready for when he got out.

Kelly first went over to Matt's suitcase, pulling out a pair of socks and some underwear. He also took out a comfy pair of black joggers. He really liked it when Matt wore these particular ones, they seemed to just fit him perfectly in all the right places. He looked through the suitcase for a moment longer, searching for a nice and comfortable shirt that wouldn't be too tight against Matt's lungs, which he imagined were quite sore. But Kelly didn't quite find what he was looking for, so he took a t-shirt out of his own bag for Matt to wear. He took this stack of clothes and brought it over to the bathroom, opening the door just a crack and setting it on the counter before heading back to the main part of the room.

Next, Kelly ordered room service. He wasn't sure if Matt would have a heavy appetite or be completely not hungry, but he figured it would be the latter. So, Kelly ordered two bowls of the chicken soup, he figured that'd be perfect; whatever he could convince Matt to get down would be better than nothing. Kelly heard the water stop in the bathroom and he listened carefully to make sure Matt didn't slip or anything on his way out of the shower.

Matt's lungs were sore, in fact his whole chest kinda hurt. He had also been nauseas for a while earlier, but most of that seemed to have passed over time. Everything aside, Matt couldn't be happier that Kelly had come back for him. Although the memory of the accident was quite blurry, Matt very distinctly and very vividly remembered the hug Kelly had given him after he coughed up all that water. It felt like so much emotion ran through both of them, and he could tell by the tears in Kelly's eyes that he had been terrified. Matt figured that would be the last time he went scuba diving for a while and he was immensely glad that was over with.

As Matt dragged his achy, exhausted body out of the shower, he was happily surprised to see a pile of clothes waiting for him. Of course Kelly would do that, Matt thought whilst a smile played on his lips. After thoroughly drying himself off, Matt pulled his boxers on, followed by socks and his joggers. He picked up the t-shirt and immediately recognized it to be one of Kelly's favourites. Matt pulled it on and was immediately met with pleasantly familiar scent of Kelly that he had always liked. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell and enjoying it immensely. Then exhaling, his body relaxing ever so slightly. He stepped out of the bathroom he made a beeline for the bed so he could rest. He didn't have much energy left to stand up anymore.   
Kelly sat on the far side of the bed, his back against the headboard watching TV. Matt walked over and laid himself down on the other side of the bed, facing Kelly.

"Thanks for the clothes." Matt spoke quietly, a small smile flashing against his lips. He felt like a pretty lucky guy right about now, and that feeling wasn't just from beating death.

"Hey, you got it." Kelly assured. He liked the way Matt looked wearing his shirt, there was just something about it. It seemed to fit just the way Kelly imagined it would, and he looked pretty comfortable in it too. He let himself gaze at Matt for a few more moments before there was a knock on the door. Kelly went over and Matt heard a short, muffled conversation before Kelly returned with a room service cart.

"Now I know you might not feel like eating, but just try to get something in your stomach, okay?" Kelly instructed, earnest want for Matt's wellbeing flowing through his voice.

Matt nodded, "Yeah, I'll try. Thanks, Sev."

Matt sat up as Kelly handed him a bowl of steaming hot soup. He took a few slow, small spoonfuls at first, getting his stomach adjusted to the food. It tasted great and the warmth was soothing to his throat. He ate about half of it before he was a mixture of full and too sleepy to eat. This was fine with Kelly, and he happily finished off Matt's soup after he wolfed his own down.   
Kelly took one look at Matt and by the way his eyelids were trying to stay open, he figured there was no way that man would be awake any more than 5 minutes. Kelly pulled back the covers on the bed, motioning for Matt to crawl under them. "Get in, buddy." Kelly said soothingly, smiling as Matt complied in his very exhausted manner. For a split moment, Kelly almost wanted to join him. Even though his whole body said get the hell in there, his mind told him that Matt probably wouldn't appreciate it all that much. So, Kelly simply pulled the covers over the other man and settled down into the padded chair beside the bed.

Kelly must've fallen asleep himself, because when he opened his eyes it was pitch black in the room. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he noticed the bed was empty. Where had Matt gone? Suddenly Kelly was wide awake and nearly in a panic, that is, until he looked around a little more. He noticed Matt standing on the balcony, the moonlight creating a stark silhouette of him. Kelly stood up, stretching out the stiff muscles he had somehow ended up with, probably thanks to the chair he'd accidentally gotten a little too comfortable in.

He walked over to Matt, trying not to startle him this time. He stood to Matt's right, glancing over at his friend, feeling the slightest bit concerned. 

 

"You're up late.. Err, well, early I guess." Kelly began nonchalantly, inviting a conversation.

"Couldn't sleep." Shrugged Matt, like that answered every indirect question Kelly was trying to ask.

A short while passed and Kelly was unsure of what he should say. Should he ask any further? Or was this a sign that Matt wanted to drop the subject? Kelly really didn't know but he decided to go with his gut instinct, "Why not?" He prompted in the gentlest way he knew how.

It was a long time before Matt said anything, and when he did, Kelly could tell that he was having a hard time trying to find the right words to say. "I just keep thinking. I can't stop thinking. My mind won't shut the hell up."

Kelly nodded in understanding. He'd been there before. "Wanna tell me about it?" He asked, hoping like hell Matt would.

"I'm in love with someone.." Matt smiled against the dark, it felt good to finally say that out loud, ".. and it took me almost dying to realize it."

Kelly was a little taken aback, he wasn't sure what to say. I mean, he was obviously a little jealous of this girl, but hey, just because he couldn't have Matt didn't mean that nobody could. Or, at least that's what he told himself.

"Good for you, man. So, who's the lucky girl?"

"Uh.. I can't really say."

"Ah c'mon Matt, you know I won't tell anyone."

"You don't want to know."

"I sure the hell do."

"I.. Sev.. I can't."

"Why's that?"

"Because. It's.. I just can't."

"What if I said please?"

"No."

"Your choice." Kelly gave up, shrugging his shoulders and walking toward the door.

'Fuck it,' Matt thought. "Dammit Kelly, I'm in love with you okay?"

"Are you joking with me?"

"No. I'm seriously in love with you... I told you that you wouldn't want to hear it."


	3. The Awkward Threesome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update now because Monday mornings are not fun! Enjoy this chapter! :)

Kelly froze. His hand was on the door handle, and he had two choices. He could either run the hell away, or do the one thing he had been dreaming about doing for a while now. The latter seemed to be the clear option, and with haste Kelly spun himself around and pulled Matt into his arms. From there he slowly leant in, and kissed Matt with so much passion he felt as if fireworks were exploding and sunshine was erupting from every dark place in the world. He pulled away, "I've been waiting a really long time to hear you say that." Kelly spoke happily. The huge grin plastered on face was contagious, and they were both smiling when they kissed for the second time. Matt clung onto Kelly tightly, hugging him long and hard to make up for all the lost time. 

Matt was completely surprised by Kelly's reaction. He had been totally prepared for Kelly to leave and not want to be his friend anymore, and the exact opposite was happening. He was so happy. The pain in his chest was gone and he realized he wasn't entirely sure that had been from drowning anyways. His lungs hurt slightly still, but that was a problem for another day. Right now he was going to enjoy the hell out of the fact that apparently the two of them felt the same way about each other.

They talked into the wee hours of the morning, trying to figure out what they were going to do now that they had just confessed their love to each other. Like, yeah it was great, but how were they supposed to handle this once they got back to Chicago? Yeah, everyone was cool with Shay being into girls, but this was different. They were guys, and for some reason they felt like that changed things. Plus, they were freaking lieutenants of Truck and Squad and they couldn't just be running around and making out every time people's heads were turned. That wasn't what they were all about, so it's not like the two of them could just announce to the whole world. Especially when they weren't even entirely sure what kind of thing they had between them. But those were technicalities, they both knew they should just enjoy this week they had together before they went home. They could worry about all the politics when they made it back. Even though it was hard to let go, they mutually decided not think about it until the second their vacation was over. Until then, they were going to make the best of it. They were gonna rock the hell out of this resort and they were going to enjoy every single second with each other that they possibly could. 

At some point during the night they decided they should probably go to bed, so that's what they did. Kelly pulled back the covers of the bed and Matt got in and Kelly tucked him in before standing up again.

"Please tell me you're not going to sleep in the creakity-ass chair again." Matt remarked with a chuckle, pulling up the blanket on one side and looking up at Kelly. "Get in here." He smiled.

Kelly returned the happy grin, and listened to Matt. Now, Matt wasn't necessarily the type to be cuddled, he'd rather do the cuddling, but with Kelly things felt completely different. He wasn't sure how it would be taken, but Matt snuggled up to Kelly, snuck an arm across his chest and buried his face against his neck. He felt Kelly wrap an arm around his back, and for the first time today, he felt like he wasn't drowning, physically or mentally.

That next morning, or rather, a few hours after they fell asleep, they went down to the breakfast buffet they had been to the previous morning. The two of them hoped today would go a little better and involve less water intake to the lungs. Matt and Kelly still couldn't really comprehend the sudden change in the dynamic of their relationship with each other. Though neither of them were complaining, it was just hard to believe that something like that just happened overnight and they were worried they were rushing it. I mean, neither of them were gay, or, anything. They had both always identified as straight, so it was a very odd concept for them to date someone of the same gender. It was an even weirder concept to be dating your best friend. 

"It's just.. What changed?" Kelly asked, curious what made Matt suddenly feel this way.

Matt looked up, a mix of surprise and sadness, "I almost died."

"And?" Kelly prompted, still unsure.

"I realized of all the things in this damn world, you're the only thing I was scared of losing." Matt gazed into Kelly's eyes, the bright blue circles that could make his whole day better.

Kelly smiled, if anyone could make him feel like a damn treasure, Matt could. 

The boys decided to take it easy today, so they set up some chairs by the beach and began lounging in the warm sun. There was no wind and the only sounds they heard was the quiet bustling of the resort and the slow repetitive waves crashing against the sandy beach. One of the waiters came by to give them drinks. It was simply paradise. 

At some point the had both fallen asleep. That was inevitable really, what with their lack of sleep and the soothing environment they found themselves in. Plus, the chairs they had settled into were very comfortable. It was basically a recipe for relaxation. 

It was maybe an hour later that they were woken up. They both heard it; a voice that said, "Hey there, stranger." 

Matt and Kelly looked up to see no other than Gabby Dawson standing there. 

"Uh, hi. When did you get here?" Matt asked with surprise, his voice still a little raspy from sleep.

Gabby looked a little nervous but had a big grin on her face. "I grabbed the first flight over here, I needed to see you. I can't believe I'm really here. Wow, okay so, yeah. Matt, I know we left things a little rocky, but I still love you and I want to make things work."

Kelly's heart dropped. What if Matt decided he'd rather be with Gabby than him? They did have a lot of history, maybe Kelly would be leaving this resort single after all? 

Kelly cleared his throat, "I'm gonna go take a swim." And without looking at the two love birds, he headed straight for the ocean. Obviously he'd let Matt make the moves, it was his decision when it really came down to it.   
Kelly walked in until he was up to his waist, then he dove into the water. 

From the beach, Matt watched Kelly swim. Gabby had taken Kelly's seat and was talking about wanting to get back together. She said she made a big mistake leaving him and she wanted a second chance. Of course, Matt didn't really want to get involved with her again, she and him just didn't fit that well together anymore. But, Matt didn't really know what he should say. He didn't want to say yes to her, not when he was still trying to figure things out with Kelly. But at the same time, if he said no, he was worried that he'd have to explain why he was now off the market. Plus, she'd flown all the way out here, if she didn't get what she wanted, she'd be heartbroken and Matt would feel extremely guilty about that.

Matt didn't like the position he was in, it was a hopeless mess. Either way he'd lose one of his friends, he was pretty sure of that. 

He needed to talk to Kelly.

 

Matt told Gabby he was going for a swim and they'd talk more later, so he gave Gabby the room key and let her know she could put her stuff in there for now. Gabby smiled and walked away, it almost looked like she thought she won, but little did she know, she was losing.

Kelly was sitting in the shallow water, his arms resting on open knees as he looked out across the ocean. He was surprised to see Matt sit down next to him. 

"She wants me back," Matt stated, rubbing his hand over his tired eyes.

Kelly nodded slowly, "Okay." He was fully expecting Matt to try to let him down gently and tell him that he was getting together with Dawson again. He wished Matt would just get this over with.

Matt looked over at Kelly. Like, really looked at him. He seen the worry in his face. Kelly was anxious, Matt could tell by the way he was biting his bottom lip. Wait. He didn't think Matt was at all interested in Gabby, did he? It made sense why Kelly was troubled, Matt could imagine he would probably be feeling the same way, roles reversed. He wanted to reassure Kelly about this, tell him that it was all going to be okay, because he didn't want Gabby. He wanted Kelly, and Matt decided to tell him as much. "Kelly, I want-" And suddenly, before he could even finish his sentence, Matt was interrupted by Gabby. "Hiiiii!" She piped up as she walked up next to them and sat beside Matt. "Wow, nice weather here! You guys sure picked a great spot... This is going to be a great week!"

Kelly internally sighed. His whole demeanour sort of dropped as he realized his personal time with Matt went from slim to none. It bothered him. Dawson was going to stay with them on the vacation they had planned for just the two of them? Who does that? To be fair, she had no knowledge of what had happened between him and Matt yesterday, but that still didn't make Kelly feel any better about it. 

"Oh! I hope you guys don't mind me staying with you. I kinda didn't book myself a room." She laughed playfully, flinging her hand off to the side to emphasize her words. 

"Uh, yeah. I don't see why not." Matt responded hesitantly. He looked over to Kelly, he seemed so sad and distant. Shit. He was just making more and more of a mess and things weren't clearing up fasting enough. Matt knew he had to end things with Gabby and set her straight; let her know that she was, in fact, not going to be able to win Matt back. He needed to cut the snake off at the head, but he always had trouble with killing things, especially people's hope. Because even though he felt that Gabby was nothing more than a friend, she obviously seemed to feel they had a bigger connection. Of course, leading her on would be a dick move, but in the same way, destroying her hope would make him feel like shit. 

Kelly was about to up and leave. Leave the beach, leave the resort, leave Gabby, and go the hell back to Chicago. He didn't know if he could handle being around Dawson right now, he was just so tired, and he wanted to leave. Because he was good at that, he did a great job at running away from his problems and the people that made them. Kelly was good at avoiding things he couldn't handle. That's what made everyone think he was so strong. In reality, he was like a crumbling statue. Fading away slowly, bit by bit, until finally one day the stone completely falls apart across the ground and someone finally says, "Wow, someone should fix this." Everyone thought the titanic was invincible, but guess what, all it took was a little ice and that thing was gone. Kelly was worried that the same thing would happen to him some day. That's why he needed Matt. But at the same time, if Matt didn't want him, then he didn't want to be wanted either. Which is why, Kelly wanted to leave. Because in this moment, he didn't feel wanted, and that was okay. But it didn't mean he was going to stick around to suffer and watch Matt and Gabby be all couple-like. 

"You guys don't say a whole lot." Gabby pointed out exasperatedly, "C'mon, let's party it up." She suggested, waving her hands in the air, "Heard they have a great club here."

Kelly didn't want to 'party it up', no, he wanted to have a nice evening and maybe shoot himself in the face, because hell, he couldn't handle this shit. Kelly got up and walked away, briefly hearing Gabby ask Matt if she said the wrong thing. "Like she cares." Thought Kelly to himself in disdain. He went to the room, and he packed his bag. He nicely folded all his things and was almost all finished when he looked on the bed and saw the shirt he had given to Matt to wear just yesterday. He picked it up, held it to his face, and took a deep breath. It smelled like him, and that almost broke Kelly. Because he was getting ready to leave the man he was in love with to let him be with someone else. He finished packing and just as he was zipping up his suitcase, he heard the door to the room open. He prayed it was just housekeeping or something; he knew he looked like the mess he was on the inside, and nobody needed to see that. But no, it was Matt. He heard his voice. "You okay? You left the beach kinda sudden."

"I.. Am- uh. Leaving." Kelly stated, trying to compose himself a little before turning around to face the other man. "I'm uh- gonna give you and Dawson some time for yourselves."


	4. Things in Motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another one! Hope you all are having a great day today! :)

"Kelly, I don't want her."

Shock crossed Kelly's face, "You.. Oh." He was still sceptical, but this was great news. Very confusing to hear, but at the same time, put part of his mind at peace.

"Yeah, you didn't think I was going to choose her over you, did you?"

Kelly looked up sheepishly, then shrugged.

"I'm so sorry." Matt murmured softly, walking up to Kelly and hugging him hard and long. Kelly was just trying to keep it together, he was too tired for such an emotional rollercoaster. Matt kissed Kelly, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Kelly replied, melting into the arms that were still around him.

"Don't go, okay?" Matt begged, "I'll fix this. I just haven't figured out how to let her down gently. Obsessed with me or not, she's still part of my truck, I don't want any hard feelings there."

Kelly nodded, he understood the situation a little better now. "I'll stay. We still keeping things on the down low?"

"I think it's best. No way in hell Boden's keeping the two of us in the same house if he finds out, we are the lieutenants after all. One of us is probably going to have to transfer out, and I don't like that thought. I enjoy keeping an eye on you on the job."

Kelly couldn't disagree with that, Matt was completely right.

There was a knock at the door. "That's probably Gabby. We'll figure this out, Kel. Just later." Matt promised, giving him one last kiss before heading to the door to let Dawson in.

Kelly felt a little better, but still wasn't a big fan of Gabby intruding on their space. It'd take him a while to get over that, but he would.

The three of them decided to head over to the main part of the resort and get some coffee at a little cafe. Gabby made most of the conversation, Matt said a little and Kelly was pretty much silent. It's not that he tried to be quiet on purpose, his mind was just somewhere else. It was imagining how nice it would be to just have a nice cuddle with Matt right now, or maybe to have a nap together. He'd be a fan of pretty much anything he could get, but now that they had this awkward threesome, he doubted that wouldn't be happening. Which was okay, he could deal with that for now, especially since he had an idea for tonight.

After their coffee and extreme lack of conversation, they all made the decision to go to the all inclusive spa. Well, Gabby decided she wanted to do that, then she guilt tripped Matt into going, and of course, Matt made Kelly go to because like hell he was going to suffer alone here. Although, the boys had to admit, a nice massage sounded pretty appealing. Once they got to the large breezy tent where the spa was located, they were secretly happy to find out that the men and women were on separate halves of the tent. This would mean perhaps Matt and Kelly could have some alone time after all.

"You gotta tell her man." Kelly stated, the relaxation he was experiencing seeping into his voice. He was getting the massage of his life right now and enjoying every second of it.

From the bed next to Kelly's, Matt laughed. "How? She came all the way down here, I can't just say no."

Kelly didn't say much to that. Of course Matt could just say no, and the sooner he did that, the better this would end. But he understood the pressure the blonde was under.

Unfortunately the massage didn't last as long as he would have liked and he was soon forced to be around Gabby. He wasn't a fan of that today. But he also had no escape. He felt like this was pointless and he wanted to leave, but he had promised Matt he would stay. That's what he would do, he would get his shit together and stay. As annoying as it was.

They were walking around the resort, the three of them, when Matt ducked away to use the washroom. The sun was out, and it was hot, so Kelly and Gabby sat on bench near a palm tree.

"Okay.. The hell is your problem, Severide?" Gabby grumbled towards Kelly.

Confused, Kelly looked up.

"Don't play stupid, you're ruining Matt's vacation by being so dull and sad."

Um. "What?" Kelly blurted out, taken aback by her condescending demeanour.

In all reality, Gabby was just jealous that Kelly got to go on this vacation with Matt in the first place. Now that she was here, she'd say or do anything to get Kelly out of here. She'd always been there for Matt, and now she wanted him to be there for her. It was only fair. Matt should be sticking up for her, not letting this terrible third-wheel situation happen. Kelly didn't deserve to be here, only she and Matt did.

Gabby planned to show Matt that. She wanted to make sure he knew for a fact that he would be walking out of this resort as her boyfriend again. She wanted Matt to realize that Kelly shouldn't be here, and that he should've invited her in the first place.

Matt emerged from the bathroom and Gabby was smiling smugly, while Kelly was staring down at the ground, a slightly panicked look on his face. Matt sighed. He just wanted to push Gabby aside and hold Kelly close. He knew it couldn't happen right now, but he could wish nonetheless. He really needed to get this over with and send Gabby packing. Yet, it felt so difficult to just do it. She'd hate him forever, and there were worse things in the world, but nobody should ever underestimate the passive anger of Gabriella Dawson.

They rest of the day was awkward as hell and there were many times that Kelly just wanted to run away from the problem. But he stuck it out like the grown-ass man he was.

Towards the end of the day, after they had spent all afternoon at the beach, they went out for a quick supper before heading up to the room. It was the most awkward love triangle Kelly had ever seen. To be honest, it was almost funny how awkward it truly was. That is, until Gabby suggested that she and Matt share the bed whilst Kelly slept on the balcony, because it was a "mild evening". She obviously hadn't been here long enough to realize how much it cooled down at night.

Kelly was about to just go with it because it's not like Matt was refusing that idea. But then suddenly Matt spoke up. "Actually no."

Gabby looked up. "Uh, what?"

"I said no." Matt replied firmly. He looked unimpressed in Kelly's opinion.

"Why? I promise not to steal all the blankets." She winked, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Kelly is not sleeping on the balcony, that is not okay, he was here long before you. Plus, I don't want to share a bed with you, Gabby."

"Pffft, why not?" She burst out, completely surprised for reasons unbeknownst to Kelly.

"Because, I don't want to get back together with you."

"You have to."

"Not happening, Gabby."

She was on the verge of tears, and in her angry haste, shoved Matt up against the wall and kissed him. Kelly's heart dropped. Matt pushed Gabby away and she suddenly looked at Matt with so much hate, Kelly questioned whether or not she was going to become violent. Luckily she didn't, but Kelly was on edge nonetheless, ready to protect Matt if it came down to it. Gabby huffed and sat down on the bed, crossing her arms. The sight was reminiscent of an upset five-year-old, but neither Matt or Kelly were going to say that aloud.

"Why?" Gabby demanded furiously, glaring at Matt.

"We're just not right for each other-" Matt tried to explain, but was interrupted by Gabby.

"NO! Be quiet, I don't want to listen to this." She hissed angrily.

Though she had just asked the question, she wouldn't let him answer. Damn. Women were confusing. Matt thought to himself. Good thing Kelly was a guy.

"See? You don't want to even hear me out. I don't need a relationship like that. I don't want a relationship like that." Matt sighed, shaking his head.

The boys could both see the moment when Gabby realized what a mistake she had made, trying to boss Matt around like that. She had that, "Oh shit" look on her face.

"Look," Matt began, his words directed to the woman across from him, "This afternoon, I made reservations for another room, room 231. It's yours Gabby. You're not stay with me- with us, tonight."

Gabby shook her head in disbelief. "You asshole." She muttered, as she looked menacingly at Matt, who was holding out a room card to her. Gabby snatched the card and stormed out of the room. The door slammed and with that Matt let out a deep breath. Kelly walked over to Matt, and finally he was able to do the things he had been waiting to do all day. He pulled Matt into open arms, holding him tightly and not letting go. He could practically feel all the exhausted energy leave Matt's body as he completely melted into the embrace. Matt let himself just crash as he realized he finally did it. He cut Gabby off and it felt glorious. He had chosen Kelly and that felt amazing. He finally had some time with Kelly, just the two of them.

He pulled only the slightest bit away from the hug so he was able to look at the small smile Kelly had on his perfectly handsome face. Matt returned the grin before leaning in and kissing Kelly with all he had left in him. Kelly reciprocated fiercely and with more passion than Matt was expecting. Things continued for several minutes, and just as things were beginning to get hot and heavy, there was a knock on the door.

"You gonna get that?" Kelly whispered against Matt's neck.

"Nah." Matt mumbled back, a little out of it.

But the knocking persisted and Matt couldn't stand it. Still mostly dressed, Matt sighed with disappointment and stood up. Kelly had to smile to himself, he knew Matt wouldn't leave it. He watched Matt walk towards the other side of the room, noticing that somehow he had lost his shirt while they were making out. Oops.

Matt had to admit, he was slightly annoyed as he answered the door. Even more annoyed when it was Gabby on the other side. 

"Matt, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry and I want another chance." She pleaded, clasping her hands together in front of her as though she was praying for the one thing Matt knew she wasn't going to get from him. A relationship. But hell no, because he was already working on giving that to someone else. She had had her chance to have some type of thing with Matt, but she lost that right the second she treated him like he was an object to be possessed, versus the human being he was in his heart.

"No, Gabby. Not happening."

It took some balls, but Matt closed the door without another word. Leaving Gabby alone in the hallway, hoping he had finally gotten the point across to her.

"I'm proud of you." Kelly smiled at Matt, once he crawled back into bed and shuffled close to Kelly, resting his head upon the all too familiar heartbeat.

"For?" Matt asked curiously, playing with the bottom hem of Kelly's shirt.

"Figuring out how to deal with everything going on."

"It took too long though, I should've said all those things the minute she got here."

"Maybe, but either way, you did it."

"Yeah," Matt smiled, looking up at Kelly, "I got exactly what I wanted."

Kelly held Matt just a tiny bit tighter when he heard those words, and the butterflies in his stomach all did a little flip. He was turning into such a mushy pile of feelings, but damn, there's no way he'd rather have it. He wouldn't change a thing. He would cuddle the shit out of this man, he'd say sappy things, he wouldn't be ashamed of loving Matthew Casey; because there was no way in the deepest lengths of hell he was going to let this treasure of a human being go.

They fell asleep like that. They supposed it was turning into somewhat of a habit, them snuggling their way to sleep. Though neither would complain about such a lovely thing.


	5. Figuring It Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, chapter five of five is up! I'm happy how this story turned out! :) Thanks to all my faithful readers for the feedback and lovely comments! Enjoy!

When Matt initially woke in the morning the first thing he noticed, is that Kelly was still fast asleep. As creepy as it sounds, Matt simply just watched him for a while. He looked at the perfectly peaceful face of Kelly's, watched as he soundly slept, and listened to his steady breathing. It was comforting to be in his presence and he couldn't be more happy to be alone and in such close proximity of him. Matt pondered for a short moment about the best way to wake him up. Then a thought struck him which he immediately played out.

Leaning forward, Matt slowly and carefully planted his lips onto the soft skin of Kelly's forehead, moving lower to lay another kiss on top of his nose. Matt, with a smile on his face, pulled back for a slight moment before leaning in again to kiss Kelly's lips. Oh and what a fantastic feeling it is to kiss Kelly Severide. Because not only does your world explode into the most beautiful feeling of ethereal euphoria; you also get the most amazing sense of perfect and otherwise unattainable bliss. It makes all the problems fade into the background and it can instantly change your mood into the best it's ever been. Matt kissed slowly at first, just a meeting of the lips which soon turned into much more than that. He sucked gently on Kelly's lower lip, and ran a hand through the other man's hair. 

Kelly smiled like a madman. "I could get used to a wake up like that." He mumbled sleepily, as Matt pulled Kelly to his chest. Kelly yawned against Matt's firm torso, snuggling as close as he could. All he could smell was the familiar and comforting scent of Matthew Casey. All he could taste was the taste of the lips that had just moments ago been on his. All he could see was the bare chest that he had pushed himself up against. All he could hear was the heartbeat that made his own heart skip a beat. All he could feel was the warm body tangled with his own; love coursing through his veins.

Matt reached a hand out to cup the side of Kelly's face. He stroked his thumb across his cheek and watched as Kelly's eyes fluttered closed. Kelly leaned into the touch. 

This was everything he needed. Everything he wanted. 

Matt and Kelly decided to spend the rest of the morning simply rolling around in bed, chatting lightly and lowkey cuddling. They decided that was the best way to avoid Gabby, if she was even still here. Plus, they had to get their alone time in before heading home. Who knows how much of that they'd be able to get back on Chicago. Sadly, Matt guessed not much. So, the two of them simply had to make sure they made the most of it. 

Of the few days they were still there, they didn't see Gabby a whole lot. Word of the resort was that she started hooking up with a guy a few rooms down the hall. Matt and Kelly couldn't really say that bothered either of them a whole heck of a lot. They finally were able to finish enjoying and exploring the beaches, the resort, and each other. 

Of course, it finally came time for them to leave, and they weren't too excited to go home. In fact, they almost just decided to fuck it and stay right where the were. But they also knew that they were needed, and that they had a job to do. There was no doubting that.

As they boarded the plane, they were a little glum, but they tried to not let it get the best of them. Secretly and with precaution, they held hands underneath the arm rest that separated them. Matt even managed to catch a few winks of sleep here and there, using Kelly's shoulder as a pillow.

When they landed. They immediately took a cab over to the place they had been sharing for the last few months, and without hesitation, crawled into Matt's bed to sleep for a few hours before their first shift back began. Of course, there would be some figuring out as far as their relationship went and how they would move forward with it, but they'd get there in time.

 Being back at the firehouse was really weird and the two of them couldn't help but keep catching themselves from doing something that would even microscopically point towards the beginnings of their relationship. First, it was the way that Kelly was just going to pull Matt into his arms after a particularly tough call. But he remembered just in time to keep the affection level to a mere pat on the shoulder. That crushed him because that's not what he needed, his mind was running two million miles a minute and he just needed Matt. But they needed to keep it low-key, he knew that. Then a few hours later, when Matt had to visit Kelly in his office to go over some paperwork, Matt had to refrain from a goodbye kiss when they finished and he was about to head out the door. After all that, as they were about to finish up their shift, they had to refrain from holding hands as they walked over to Matt's truck. 

When they got to their place, they both finally let out the tension of keeping up appearances and relaxed for the first time in the past 24 hours. Kelly pulled Matt to him and started kissing him, gently and softly. It finally seemed as though they were the only two people in the world. And then a bang at the door, and Kelly answered it only to reveal Capp, Otis, and Cruz, accompanied by a 12 pack. They hadn't exactly been invited, but they had already come all this way and Kelly had a hard time saying no. 

Matt sighed inwardly, so much for a night alone. 

It was fun, it really was, they hadn't seen the gang in a while and it was an enjoyable time. But this isn't what Matt had been hoping for, because damn he just wanted to get his firefighter in bed with him and that's the only thing he wanted to "do". But he toughed it out because it isn't polite to kick out the guys who bring the drinks. It was 2am before they finally left, and by that time, Matt and Kelly were so exhausted that they just about passed out as soon as their heads hit the pillow. 

The next day, Kelly had the best idea about how he wanted to make it up to Matt. He woke up extra early and made breakfast in bed for the blond who was still fast asleep. The two of them finally had some alone time, and after they ate, they made the best of it. In other words, they got rid of their clothes and did the things that they had been wanting to do since shift ended the day before. 

It was tricky as hell to figure out this whole dating thing, especially when they had to hide it from everyone, but they would just take this whole thing day by day and they'd be okay. Because like hell Matt was ever going  to give up on Kelly or vice versa. Not a chance.

Because together, they'd always be okay.


End file.
